Screw driver



-w. s. THOMSON. SCREW DRIVER- APPLICATION FILED MAY 541-921 4 0 52 1 Patented Mar. 211, 11922.

Inven fa Aig o mmm' WILLIAM STRA'ITON THOMSO N, OF PLANTSVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE H. D. SMITH & COMPANY, OF PLANTSVILLE, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

SCREW DRIVER.

Ltlthim.

Specification of-Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

Application filed May 5, 1921. Serial No. 467,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM STRATTON TnoMsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plantsville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw Drivers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in screw-drivers, having reference to the handle structure, and the object of my improvement is to produce a screw-driver that is provided with a handle that has means for facilitating the manipulation in turning, as when operating upon a screw, in the form of one or more projections of wing-like form that extend laterally from the handle body so as to be adapted to be readily engaged by the fingers, and which projections may be confined for the purpose mentioned to a zone extending longitudinally adjacent the structure of the bolster, being adjacent the junction of the handle body and the shank of the blade. r

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a screwdriver embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the same.

Figure 3 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale and in part broken away of the portion of the structure comprising the bolster.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view as viewed from the butt end.

My improved screw-driver involves as a basal or fundamental screw-driver structure to which my improvement is applied a screw-driver structure such as is shown and described in the patent granted to William S. Ward under date of August 25, 1903, No. 7 37 ,17 9, and the particular improvement consists of the wing-like projections 11, shown as two in number, that extend laterally on opposite sides from the handle structure 12, being positioned, adjacent the bolster structure, or adjacent the junction of the said handle structure 12 and the shank 14 that merges at the lower end into the bit 15. The said screw-driver structure, designated generally by the character 10, comprises as one piece a forging that extends continuously from the bit 15 at the lower end to the butt 16 at the upper end, the

said butt constituting the upper end of the handle structure 12. Atthe lower end of the said handle structure 12 is the bolster 13. Intermediate the butt 16'and the bolster 13 is a plate-like web 17. On the opposite faces of the web 17 are mounted a pair of handle scales 18 of Wood, being held in place by suitable rivets 19.

The features here mentioned are substantially like the corresponding parts in the patent mentioned.

The following details will be noted z-' The bolster 13 appears as an enlargement relatively to the structure of the web 17, being largest in cross-section adjacent the junction 21 with the said web 17, where it abuts against the bottom ends or edges of the wooden handle scales 18, and gradually reduces in the area of cross-section downwardly so as to provide a tapered exterior wall 25 of appreciable length that is adapted in use to serve as a rest for the fingers of the operator.

As a matter of fact, in the basic screwdriver 10 considered, the particular form that is given to the tapered wall 25 deviates from the conical, in that the cross-section is oval, to conform to the generally flattened form for the handle 12, a feature that serves to increase the holding effect under conditions of use.

I find it desirable in some cases to make more positive the holding effect for turning and this result I obtain by the use of the wings 11.

It will be noted that in the basic screwdriver 10 the edges 20 of the web 17 are exposed at the sides, being housed between the opposed edges of the handle scales 18.

Thus it will be noted that the wings 11 are readily provided as integral extensions of the web 17, as shown, so far as the wings 11 overlap the handle scale 18, as shown at 26, comprising the upper end portions of the said wings 11.

As shown, about one-half of each of the wings 11 constitutes the upper end portion that overlaps the handle scales 18 and the remainder or lower half merges into the bolster body 13.

B having the wings constructed and arranged as described the screw-driver frame is readily formed by drop forging.

I claim as my invention 1. A screwdriver comprising a handle structure and a bit supporting shank that are connected by means of an intermediate bolster structure, and the said bolster structure being provided with a laterally directed Wing for being engaged by the finger to facilitate turning the screw-driver.

2. A screw-driver comprising a frame of metal extending from end to end, having a bit supported by a shank at one end and a butt at the other end, a bolster spaced from the said butt and merged with the said shank, a p1ate-like Web connecting the said butt and bolster, wooden handle scales mounted on the said Web, and wing-like pro- 

